Leeds United players, coaches and management defer pay to support all staff

Coaching staff, players and members of senior management at football club Leeds United will defer their pay for the foreseeable future, to ensure that all staff working at the Elland Road stadium and Thorp Arch training ground will still receive pay during the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) outbreak.

Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, there is currently no return date set for the Sky Bet Championship, leaving many employees with an uncertain financial future.

In an announcement published yesterday (26 March 2020), players, coaches and members of the senior management team pledged to defer their own salaries, to ensure that the club can continue to pay all 272 full-time employees, and the majority of casual employees.

A statement by the Leeds United first-team squad, said: “Leeds United is a family, this is the culture that has been created by everyone at the club, from the players and the board to the staff and the supporters in the stands.

“We face uncertain times and therefore it is important that we all work together to find a way that the club can push through this period and end the season in the way we all hope we can. In the meantime, let’s work as one to listen to the government advice and the health service and beat this virus.”

Victor Orta, director of football at Leeds United, said: “My players have demonstrated an incredible sense of unity and togetherness and I am proud of their actions. To Marcelo [Bielsa] and his staff and all of the players, we thank them for putting our wider team first and taking care of family. Now we must focus on public health, and when the people are safe, finish what we started.”